Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Tales from the Trenches: Oh, you can't get out backwards. You've got to go forwards to go back.

From Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

The road construction has gotten interesting. I've had the following:1. The Deputy Mayor e-mailed me on Wednesday night. He said nothing other than people would get back with me that day and they didn't.2. The police officer in charge of patrol told me to "go down and ask the construction workers the time frame." I told him no thank you.3. The engineer called me and gave me a briefing. He told me that he went to our public schools, walked to all of them and considers walking an important thing.4. The sergeant in charge of the school zones called me Sunday evening at 8:30 AM and again on Monday morning. His Monday morning message was that they were "going to move Jim [the crossing guard] down to - - - Road and you'll be able to cross down there." That is two blocks further than what we go, one block up, then two blocks back to get back to the road that K-'s school is on. At approximately 1/10th of a mile per block, they are ADDING 1/2 mile to the one mile walk we are already making. (Hence the Willy Wonka.)5. The councilman called me at work. He discussed the situation with me, laughing that they think that everyone who walks would walk a 1/2 mile out of their way. I explained that this morning, we hiked in and out of the dug up roadway. Thankfully, Hubs was with me. It is about a 24" drop. I asked if they were able to give us a temporary walk. "With steel plates?" (Could you imagine walking on steel plates on an incline in the rain?) "No, just like the temporary driveways they are putting in." "Oh! I think that would be a good idea." So, he is waiting on the construction company and police department to call back.

I think I may have ruffled a few feathers.

Smiles in my day:- Mallards have laid eggs under the bush in our back yard! We're on a postage stamp sized lot. For us, it's nature's attaboy. :)- K- was a good sport with having to truck through the construction zone on her way to school.- K- brought home good class papers, despite it being her first day back from break. It typically takes her a day or two to get back into the swing of things.- Hubs did a beautiful job of mowing the lawn. He loves his new equipment.

Oooh, be careful. Mama ducks are VERY protective of the nest. My work had to put a fence around the bush that a duck had laid eggs in. It was next to a walkway to the office and that duck would come flying out at you quacking. Its funny now. But more than one person dropped their laptops!

Huh. I grew up with the Va Tech Duck Pond and the mallards were so friendly--even with ducklings (often leading the ducklings to us). It was the Canada geese that were awful. Of course, the ducks saw us as sources of grub so I'm sure that helped quite a bit. ;o)

Maybe they know you will feed them once they are born. I am talking EGGS. Once they were born they left the area.

I am not sure that a duck could actually hurt you, probably a little, the funny part now is remembering grown men screaming and dropping all their stuff covering their heads when she would fly out at them. And yes, the mama duck was fed by brave souls who were not carrying expensive computers lol. I think they threw it in the fenced in area from a distance though.

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About Me

I'm a mama to a 7th grader who is taller than me by inches and wears shoes that I swim in. Hubs and I have been together for over 23 years and married for 20. We're not perfect people, but we try to be good, to do good and to enjoy good things-- together.